S01.E01: Pilot

[ohjoy]

Quote

Returning to New York from a family vacation in Jamaica, the Stone family is separated when adult siblings Michaela and Ben, along with Ben's gravely ill son Cal are bumped to a later flight, while Ben's wife, daughter and parents fly ahead. When that later flight lands, the passengers are bewildered to discover that five and a half years have gone by. They attempt to reconnect with the loved ones who mourned their passing and moved on long ago, and try to make sense of a mystifying phenomenon steering them to act in ways they don't understand.

[Gregg247]

Interesting idea for a show, but I don't think that making Officer Debbie Downer of the NYPD as the main character was a good idea.  

[mustbekarma]

I...love...this...show...so... flipping....much. I had chills during the final scene. I love Prince Charming and his sister. I am so in.  This show amazed me.

[RandomWatcher]

Interesting premise and Josh Dallas knows how to deal with a daughter he didn't get to see grow up

[mustbekarma]

This show had me at Josh Dallas. I'm staying for everyone else. I loved all the characters.

[emjohnson03]

I tuned in but I'm kinda meh on it.

I was kinda bored to be honest. I think I sometimes enjoy the shows that you have to keep watching to learn more but usually I'm a one and done kinda show person meaning you can watch whenever and don't get lost.

The sister and cop that's married to her best friend took up alot of time and I was not loving them. I just didn't care about him that much.

The other family was a little more interesting but you know the mom has another guy or husband so that will drag.

I just don't know if i care enough to keep watching...maybe it's an OnDemand and watch a few at a time. 

[memememe76]

I really enjoyed it. Has a Timeless type of sensibility. Hopefully, the other passengers will get their Lost moments in the spotlight. I will enjoy the flight.

[Unraveled]

I'm not a huge fan of the policewoman character, but I'm in for Prince Charming. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the scientist/doctor.

I didn't realize that the daughter and son were twins. The daughter looked much older in the beginning, but girls tend to mature earlier than boys.

I am hoping that it's less "superpowers" and more of a mystery. I'm sick and tired of superheroes.

[Dejana]

I guess all the luggage is being held for investigation? That would suck.

Grace has moved on, too! What was that about her being queasy-is she pregnant?

The show jumps around a bit too much for my liking, I can barely get invested in a scene when it's on to the next one.

Was not expecting the plane to blow up at the end!

Edited September 25, 2018 by Dejana

[ams1001]

I wasn't going to watch - not usually into supernatural mystery-type shows - but I hadn't changed the channel and I sorta got sucked in. I will at least watch a few more and see where it goes. (I hope the Bible verse isn't pointing to some kind of religious explanation.)

I was a little skeptical at the idea that five years later these people's jobs (the sister/cop and the medical researcher, at least) apparently are just open and waiting for them to drop right back in...

[patty1h]

Even with cable using every swear word on earth, it was still weird to hear the Matt Dallas character say "goddamn" on NBC. Don't recall any of the big 3 networks going there before.  Other than that, I'm intrigued enough to tune in again even with the Lost/super hero direction the show seems to be heading in.

[stealinghome]

That was fairly solid as pilots go, although you can already see the problem with the cast of thousands. The writers packed a lot in fairly efficiently, though they definitely sacrificed some emotional depth and characterization to do so. But I was pleasantly surprised by the actors...generally they seem strong enough to cover for some of the writing’s flaws. Though there is absolutely no way I believe the government would let those people go after 36 hours! No WAY.

Whatever force (whether benign or malevolent...I’m guessing the latter, countered by whatever benevolent force is causing the voices in their heads) was behind the flight’s disappearance is bound up with Cal and the doctor’s pediatric leukemia cure, I’m calling it now. They’re pushing her research as the Miracle Cure, and emphasizing how many kids have been treated with it so much, and the upcoming purchase, that there’s just got to be a catch.

At first I thought it was Michaela’s mother’s voice talking to her.

Melissa Roxburgh has BEAUTIFUL eyes but the camera people need to zoom out from them some. The close-ups on her face and the ex-boyfriend’s were like 10-15% too close.

The wife should just come clean with Ben now about the boyfriend/new husband/whatever. And I’m already NOT digging the Michaela/ex/her best friend upcoming triangle, nor whatever the backstory is with her dead friend. It all just makes the character feel so cliché. I hope the writing backs off that some in a bit in upcoming episodes.

All in all, solid enough pilot. I’m in for at least the initial episode order.

[Autumn]

I am not sure yet.  I love these kind shows but tend to get frustrated when they pile on the layers of mystery.  It's kind of got a Lost meets Heroes vibe and I am not sure that's a good thing.  I agree that there was too much focus on the sister and I figured out where the girls were long before they did.  I never felt blown away by the plot twists.  They were kind of obvious.  I like Josh Dallas and the research scientist.  I will give it a few more weeks.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Detective Ex Boyfriend is a horrible actor.

I'm in for a few more.

[djinn]

Looks promising so far.

Why did the passengers have to witness the plane getting destroyed? Can Cal hear THE voice?

[wanderingstar]

17 minutes ago, Gregg247 said:

Interesting idea for a show, but I don't think that making Officer Debbie Downer of the NYPD as the main character was a good idea.  

I was annoyed with her inside the first 5 minutes of the episode. And her brother wasn't too far behind 

That said, I might give this a couple more episodes, as I am intrigued by the premise. 

[KaveDweller]

16 minutes ago, djinn said:

Looks promising so far.

Why did the passengers have to witness the plane getting destroyed? Can Cal hear THE voice?

I don't know why they had to witness it, but I had a feeling something was going to happen to the plane when they all showed up. Kind of weird there was not more security at that airport surrounding the plane.

I am intrigued how that woman's research got to her boss back home. Wasn't it only on her laptop? Did it get zapped to him when they went through the turbulence or had she actually sent it before the flight?

The woman cop wasn't the most compelling character, but I do want to know what is up with her being on trial for murder? From a car accident? That is a weird thing to just gloss over.

[KennyLynn]

1 hour ago, memememe76 said:

I really enjoyed it. Has a Timeless type of sensibility. Hopefully, the other passengers will get their Lost moments in the spotlight. I will enjoy the flight.

I thought it seemed a lot like timeless as well.  But I also love timeless so I’m sure I will keep watching this show

[ams1001]

20 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I am intrigued how that woman's research got to her boss back home. Wasn't it only on her laptop? Did it get zapped to him when they went through the turbulence or had she actually sent it before the flight?

The woman cop wasn't the most compelling character, but I do want to know what is up with her being on trial for murder? From a car accident? That is a weird thing to just gloss over.

I was wondering the same thing about the research. Did it get emailed somehow? Did the "force" or whatever cause it to be sent?

I'm guessing the murder comments were set up for flashbacks or some other method of exposition in the future and they're hoping it'll at least keep people hooked for a little while from wanting to find out. Though if they take too long to explain it they'll probably lose people. (My guess...she was driving, her passenger died, she blames herself even though she was not found to be legally at fault. Which is pretty cliche and I'll be impressed if they managed to come up with something better.)

[TaraS1]

I’m not familiar with the main actress playing the sister/cop, but I found her performance to be...not great, Bob. You need a really strong cast to sell a show like this and I’m not sure they have one. 

[tiredofwork]

It lost me right after the big build up and anticlimactic... "You have all been missing, presumed dead for 5 yrs",  Then essentially they just figure out shit has changed, some  are responsible for improving peoples lives, the inevitable plot line of loved ones moved on with their lives,  and they go home without any isolation, being studied, examined, etc...  

I don't give it another season if it makes it through this one.

[ichbin]

7 minutes ago, tiredofwork said:

"You have all been missing, presumed dead for 5 yrs",  Then essentially they just figure out shit has changed, some  are responsible for improving peoples lives, the inevitable plot line of loved ones moved on with their lives,  and they go home without any isolation, being studied, examined, etc...  

I know this is only a TV show with a syfy premise but this point is so ridiculous I am having a problem getting past it.   

[MadyGirl1987]

1 hour ago, RandomWatcher said:

Interesting premise and Josh Dallas knows how to deal with a daughter he didn't get to see grow up

Ha! Glad to see I wasn’t the only one thinking of the Charming-Emma relationship!

I liked this and feel it had good potential. I like a good mystery. I want to learn more about what happened and how the passengers and crew came to be on the plane. Here’s hoping it lives up to the potential and doesn’t go off the rails as these high-concept shows can do. NBC is currently running The Good Place, and that is an awesome high-concept show that has yet to dissapoint and remains fresh, so here’s hoping for Manifest.

[Lakebum]

I'll give it a shot. But I'm already getting vibes similar to those of a show called The Nine, also in the "something strange happened and we're going to tell the viewers what it was in very small doses doled out over dozens of episodes -- if we last that long" genre. For it to last as long as that one did (which was not long) it's going to need to fix a few things, namely: the main character can't be so unlikable unless that's the part of the storyline, and Michaela is, for now, simply unlikable... and I don't think she is supposed to come across that way.

And as others have said... there is NO WAY that the passengers would have been released so soon (if ever.) They disappeared for five years then reappeared, having not aged a day. That is the very definition of BIG NEWS as well as BIG MYSTERY, and probably POTENTIAL PROBLEM. In real life, those people have returned only to spend the rest of their lives as lab rats... with about as much freedom.

[BitterApple]

58 minutes ago, tiredofwork said:

It lost me right after the big build up and anticlimactic... "You have all been missing, presumed dead for 5 yrs",  Then essentially they just figure out shit has changed, some  are responsible for improving peoples lives, the inevitable plot line of loved ones moved on with their lives,  and they go home without any isolation, being studied, examined, etc...  

I don't give it another season if it makes it through this one.

I'm trying to give it a chance, but yeah. If two hundred people landed and were told they'd advanced five years into the future, I'd expect hardcore panic and freaking out, not a few gasps and a wave of murmurs. I understand they're trying to cram a lot of detail into a pilot, but that was glossed over way too fast.

[green]

2 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

Interesting idea for a show, but I don't think that making Officer Debbie Downer of the NYPD as the main character was a good idea.  

 

1 hour ago, Gillian Rosh said:

I was annoyed with her inside the first 5 minutes of the episode. And her brother wasn't too far behind 

That said, I might give this a couple more episodes, as I am intrigued by the premise. 

I agree with these.  Fun sci fi or even spiritual premise but very bad lead.  And way way WAY too stereotype to make her a cop as well.  Why can't garbage men and pipe fitters and cafeteria ladies hear voices and go out and save the world?  Why is everything on TV about cops, doctors and lawyers? 

Okay there isn't a lawyer yet but there probably will be.  Or at least the guy that was going to sue the airline will hire one, heh.  (So far he seems the most interesting character from the plane too, sigh).

This main family does not interest me at all.  Not one of them.  Despite beginning a doctor at least that researcher woman seemed more interesting especially since there is a greedy/fame seeking doctor more into some big evil pharmaceutical cutting a huge deal for her research and his claimed discovery which is a bit of a better storyline than that main family. 

That family has got to go asap.  A woman "widowed" for five and a half years has a boyfriend, gasp.  The cop woman was in a traffic accident where someone in the car got killed and she is on a major guilt trip for the whole season.  A long time missing father, this time from a magical airplane giving him a legit excuse at least, reunites with his teenage daughter he never knew.  The only interesting character in that family was the mother they killed off.  Hey maybe she is behind the whole thing.  "My Mother, The Plane."

I'll watch a few more episodes if I remember when it is on.  But they better start focusing on other people from that flight and can that boring family that I am already tired of.

Edited September 25, 2018 by green

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Unraveled said:

didn't realize that the daughter and son were twins. The daughter looked much older in the beginning, but girls tend to mature earlier than boys.

Also his cancer and treatments could take a toll on his development.

[blugirlami21]

I liked it a lot. Reminds me of a smaller scale version of the old usa show the 4400.  People disappearing for years and suddenly reappearing changed. 

I really hope that they dont all have the same power. It got old pretty quickly having both siblings hearing a voice.

The sister is kind of a debbie downer but I thought her breakdown explained why she's entitled.  What a crappy best friend though. She should at least have the balls to show her face and stand by her choices.

I'm kind of upset about the wife moving on but only because she's not being honest about it. Ben would understand that after five years that she would meet someone else. 

It's unfortunate that both siblings are basically in the same romantic situation. Kind of makes for boring storytelling. One of the so's should have been able to stay true I would think, but alas.

I'm excited for more. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Edited September 25, 2018 by blugirlami21

[LoveLeigh]

I LOVED the first 10 minutes. Then, it deteriorated into a situation that they hear voices telling them how to save people. That sort of bored me but....

I think there are great possibilities. They can show what happened in the lives of the others during the five years the passengers were gone. I just don't want to see a group of passengers who every week become a 2018 version of superheroes because of spiritual messages. 

Edited September 25, 2018 by DakotaLavender

[Camera One]

This was a decent premise, and I think the actors did a good job.  I found the main characters generally likeable, so that's a good start.  

As mentioned by others above, one problem is some of the situations they're in are too clichéd and tired... we're supposed to be interested in seeing their backstories, but the car accident where the cop blames herself has been done a thousand times before.  Ditto for the sister's fiancé and the brother's wife having new love interests.  

The other problem is the sci-fi elements.  I suppose I've been burned too many times before with serialized shows, and I can't think of any explanation for this 5-year time jump that would be satisfying to watch.  Aliens?  Top-secret government conspiracy?  Weirdo ancient cult?  No thanks.  Heck, I'd rather have it go full fantasy with fairies and wizards.  I wasn't a big fan of the voices in their heads, controlling their every movement and giving the sister foreknowledge.  It's not very interesting to see characters be told things or to lose free-will by voices from above.

I don't usually watch a new show this early on, when it could still be cancelled.  I PVR'd "The Crossing" but deleted them all without watching, since what was the point.  But I was mostly curious because Josh Dallas was in this, and it's refreshing to see him actually being able to act with emotion.  

Edited September 25, 2018 by Camera One

[biakbiak]

I actually liked this enough to give it a few episodes but this did amuse me:

the only actor who I am familiar with his the daughter who was Nicole on Fresh Off the Boat.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Hmmm. I don't know. But this main character chick needs more charisma and less of a flat affect in her tone. Methinks she got the job because of her eyes, because I think we were zoomed in on them for 50% of the show. We get it. She has pretty eyes. Guess they couldn't find a charismatic brunette brown-eyed woman with some acting chops. I don't want to watch another 'Lost' though, I still blame that show for taking JJ Abrams away from giving his usual attention to Alias. :P

[Chas411]

Not looking forward to the emotional affairs about to go down between the brother/sister and their respective exes and new partners. I hate those situations as the protagonists always come off looking bad.

[fauntleroy]

Michaela's eyebrows could have their own show.

[Biggie B]

Someone else mentioned The 4400, and that's exactly what this show reminded me of as well. I loved that show and still miss it.

I've never seen or heard of anyone in the cast, so I was assuming they're all newbies and this is their first big gig, but apparently not?

I don't know if I care for the main character doing a voiceover. I get why it was done at the start of the show, to introduce us to the characters quickly, but then when it returned at the very end (when the passengers were gathering at the plane), it surprised me, as I'd forgotten about it.

If the force that's tormenting/guiding the passengers turns out to be spiritual, I'm out. 

I'm willing to watch more, to see how things go, but I'm not sure this can last all that long. At some point, I'm afraid it might devolve into nothing more than a nighttime soap opera, focused solely on the characters' tangled love lives, etc. Sort of like how Designated Survivor fell completely away from its original premise - that the ENTIRE U.S. government was destroyed in fell swoop! It dispensed with that and settled down into nothing more than a poor man's West Wing. Anyway - I'll watch again, but if the show becomes too soapy, I'll pass.

[mwell345]

6 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

I’m not familiar with the main actress playing the sister/cop, but I found her performance to be...not great, Bob. You need a really strong cast to sell a show like this and I’m not sure they have one. 

That's my take-away.   I thought the acting overall was sub-par.   However, I usually give the first episode of any series a pass, so I'll see if it gets better.   It will need to, because I'm not sure I want to get sucked into another show that gets cancelled before they can come up with a plausible ending (I'm looking at you Colony).

[Chaos Theory]

I am hoping this is more The 4400 then Lost.  The 4400 was a fun if deeply underrated show that had people picked out of time.  This looks like everyone grabbed from one place but still.  Powers or not as long as it’s not a convoluted mystery with no end in sight I may stick around.

Edited September 28, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Skycatcher]

10 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

Interesting idea for a show, but I don't think that making Officer Debbie Downer of the NYPD as the main character was a good idea.  

 I was left hoping for more of an ensemble effect - different passengers/different woo-woo affect every week.  If the show is about "Oh look Debbie Downer went through something and now she's weird," I'm out.  On the other hand they have a plethora of TV genre cliches to draw from. Maybe last night they hit the cop and the medical genre's and now they can move on to the lawyer and ??? genre next week. 

BTW,  anyone else know she would save the kidnapped sisters the first time they were mentioned as a case?

8 hours ago, green said:

"My Mother, The Plane."

"'Manifest' Your Favorite TV Cliche"  Or just pick one from the hat every week. Heh - scenes from a hat, with Wayne, Colin, Ryan and........

8 hours ago, green said:

I'll watch a few more episodes if I remember when it is on.  But they better start focusing on other people from that flight.

 

  I'll try a few episodes. It fits an otherwise  dead time slot for me since I refuse to watch a Magnum retread.  But if its the Debbie Downer show I'm out.

Edited September 25, 2018 by Skycatcher

[Giuseppe]

I agree with those who said they glossed over the "been gone for 5 years" fallout way too quickly. Everyone on that plane should be WAY more freaked out and confused. Instead, it seems like most of them have just accepted it like, "Oh gosh, that's so weird. Hey is my job still available?" Nobody's asking any questions! Nobody seems scared. Nobody seems skeptical. Yes, I know it's just the pilot, and maybe these scenes are yet to come, but I thought that should have been more the focus of the pilot than what we actually got.

I love shows with a premise like this, so I'll keep watching. But the explanation is hardly ever satisfying.

[chitowngirl]

35 minutes ago, Skycatcher said:

 

  I'll try a few episodes. It fits an otherwise  dead time slot for me since I refuse to watch a Magnum retread.  But if its the Debbie Downer show I'm out.

You can hate watch both! Magnum is on one hour earlier.

[Sakura12]

This was okay. I think I've just seen a bunch of shows with a similar premise done better. They haven't done anything new or different. Except so far their characters are not as interesting as the other shows. 

Why was the FBI only interested in the plane and not the people? You'd think they'd be all over testing people that have not aged in 5 years. Since I assume they were pronounced legally dead, they could say they have to stay with them until the paperwork is done declaring them alive. 

Also not to take anything away from an abduction, but wouldn't the plane story dominate the news. They acted like after 2 days the story blew over and life went on as normal. 191 people came back to life and haven't aged. I would think reporters would be hounding the survivors every time they went outside. 

I'm not interested in the sister and her finance that is now married to the best friend. Also where was the best friend? I guess were not supposed to care about her to root for those two. They don't have any chemistry. I hope the wife isnt sleeping with the husbands best friend. 

Do they all have the same hearing voices powers? I hope not. 

Edited September 25, 2018 by Sakura12

[mertensia]

Someone in that group has to be in hysterics that the Cubs finally won a World Series and they didn't get a chance to watch it live.

Also, the insurance companies must be going crazy.

The lead actress is very flat.

[DanielleBowden]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

the only actor who I am familiar with his the daughter who was Nicole on Fresh Off the Boat.

Thank you!  I could NOT place her for the life of me.

[Skycatcher]

54 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

You can hate watch both! Magnum is on one hour earlier.

Ooops.   Still not watching Magnum, though.

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, stealinghome said:

NOT digging the Michaela/ex/her best friend upcoming triangle

Recently on another board there was a discussion about what constitutes a love triangle. This time-traveler/ex/her-best-friend triangle may just be at the farthest end of the continuum of love triangles that I loathe the most. This tri-stupid-love-angle may save me from wasting time watching Charming gallivant around in another B show.

 

 

10 hours ago, djinn said:

Why did the passengers have to witness the plane getting destroyed?

Why have the passengers witness the plane exploding? The better to blame them for using their collective mind meld powers for evil!

 

 

9 hours ago, ams1001 said:

9 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I am intrigued how that woman's research got to her boss back home. Wasn't it only on her laptop? Did it get zapped to him when they went through the turbulence or had she actually sent it before the flight?

I was wondering the same thing about the research. Did it get emailed somehow? Did the "force" or whatever cause it to be sent?

Yeah, I just hope it's a plot hole rather than the show adding Medical Drama to its résumé.

 

 

 

8 hours ago, Lakebum said:

And as others have said...there is NO WAY that the passengers would have been released so soon (if ever.)

8 hours ago, BitterApple said:

If two hundred people landed and were told they'd advanced five years into the future, I'd expect hardcore panic and freaking out, not a few gasps and a wave of murmurs

Note to writers: A couple of throw-away lines would have really helped here. You know, something like "I'm surprised they let us go." "There were too many protests/lawyers/political reasons not to."

[Sparger Springs]

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

This was okay. I think I've just seen a bunch of shows with a similar premise done better. They haven't done anything new or different. Except so far their characters are not as interesting as the other shows. 

Why was the FBI only interested in the plane and not the people? You'd think they'd be all over testing people that have not aged in 5 years. Since I assume they were pronounced legally dead, they could say they have to stay with them until the paperwork is done declaring them alive. 

Also not to take anything away from an abduction, but wouldn't the plane story dominate the news. They acted like after 2 days the story blew over and life went on as normal. 191 people came back to life and haven't aged. I would think reporters would be hounding the survivors every time they went outside. 

I'm not interested in the sister and her finance that is now married to the best friend. Also where was the best friend? I guess were not supposed to care about her to root for those two. They don't have any chemistry. I hope the wife isnt sleeping with the husbands best friend. 

Do they all have the same hearing voices powers? I hope not. 

How come exes in these shows never marry someone not known to the protagonist. The ex couldn't have met someone on E Harmony. This show has enough issues already without adding unnecessary love triangles.

[stealinghome]

28 minutes ago, mertensia said:

Someone in that group has to be in hysterics that the Cubs finally won a World Series and they didn't get a chance to watch it live.

Forget sports, can you imagine disappearing under Obama and reappearing under Trump??

[chitowngirl]

26 minutes ago, Skycatcher said:

Ooops.   Still not watching Magnum, though.

You didn’t miss anything! 

[green]

1 hour ago, Giuseppe said:

I agree with those who said they glossed over the "been gone for 5 years" fallout way too quickly. Everyone on that plane should be WAY more freaked out and confused. Instead, it seems like most of them have just accepted it like, "Oh gosh, that's so weird. Hey is my job still available?" Nobody's asking any questions! Nobody seems scared. Nobody seems skeptical. Yes, I know it's just the pilot, and maybe these scenes are yet to come, but I thought that should have been more the focus of the pilot than what we actually got.

I love shows with a premise like this, so I'll keep watching. But the explanation is hardly ever satisfying.

... and ...

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

Why was the FBI only interested in the plane and not the people? You'd think they'd be all over testing people that have not aged in 5 years. Since I assume they were pronounced legally dead, they could say they have to stay with them until the paperwork is done declaring them alive. 

Also not to take anything away from an abduction, but wouldn't the plane story dominate the news. They acted like after 2 days the story blew over and life went on as normal. 191 people came back to life and haven't aged. I would think reporters would be hounding the survivors every time they went outside

Yeah this would be the news story of the century.  Or all of history for that matter.  The possibility of real time travel changes everything on planet earth forever.

And there wouldn't be two lone FBI agents there.  The Pentagon would have taken over.  There should have been cuts to the White House and reaction by governments and people around the world.  Scientists demanding access to the plane over Homeland Security refusals.  Philosophers and theologians debating what it all means.  And a conspiracy nut or two should be main characters.  (Also the shock of what stealinghome said above, heh).

Instead we get two boring siblings who we are suppose to feel sorry for because their "loves" gave up on having a life with a totally dead person after more than half a decade has passed.  That's it?  Oh yeah the kid saved by the miracle cure from the doctor from the same magic plane blah blah.

Edited September 25, 2018 by green

[sjohnson]

The thing about having God as a character is that if you don't have people notice God has a really weird way of doing things and they don't really agree with what He does, then they're not interacting with the character. Worse, since God is in charge, the story lines should be tightly plotted and the themes should be appropriately deep and perceptive. The show needs to pass for a kind of revelation, after all. (Why I don't care for The Good Place, no I'm not feeling God as a censorious environmentalist who will send you to Hell for not being a vegan who recycles and drives a hybrid.) 

There are no scifi elements as of yet. There may be some sort of switch to something like "the voices are ghostly remnants of themselves using knowledge garnered from an alternate time line where the plane arrived on time,..and the big goal is to devise the time travel tech that would turn the plot into a self-consistent causal loop, instead of a paradox." Not holding my breath.  

Agree Michaela is mostly self-pity at this point, even if she thinks it's guilt. The voice over is not doing her character any favors.

Ben wanting to apologize for neglecting his daughter because his son has cancer, well I suppose he feels guilty about her emotional problems.

The researcher has promise.

Joel de la Fuente! Loved this guy since Hemlock Grove (I'm the one who watched it on Netflix.)

The notion that the US government is competent enough at emergency management to lock down the situation and keep these people prisoner while engaging in serious scientific work is conventional thinking. I think there is pervasive rot in this society. And therefore it's plausible to me that the situation would be handled with all the skill of FEMA after Katrina, Sandy, Harvey and Maria. I think their only real policy would have been to shoot the plane down but the military is too busy invading other countries to actually defend this one. But if you feel differently, the blow to willing suspension of disbelief will likely make everything seem wrong.

 

PS At first blush, the series has the threat of being an inflated Signs, where God does the most astounding miracles that shake the entire world for the benefit of one, or maybe a handful, of people. The wife actually said it out loud, it happened to save the boy.

Edited September 25, 2018 by sjohnson